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In 2004 Ipswich tunnel was closed to all traffic between 11th July and 5th September.  During the closure there were no main line trains to London from Ipswich, a coach service being operated between Ipswich and Manningtree.  The £5m Ipswich tunnel improvement project allowed 9ft 6in containers to W12 gauge to pass through by removing the slab track installed for the route's electrification 20 years previously, and the installation of a new concrete base and track about 12 inches lower than before.  During the works the invert of the tunnel was exposed, possibly for the first time since construction in 1846, and was found to be in good condition and repairs that had been provided for were not required.  The line re-opened to programme on 6th September.

 

818621898_15040717IpswichblockadesmallP.jpg.8963020e97425ae420c9b9662d853a4f.jpg

 

This is the blockade from the station footbridge looking south towards the tunnel mouth

 

629620315_17040717IpswichblockadesmallP.jpg.82a62ffe792b2afdb8ecd70b5a7e3e13.jpg

 

And here is a view of the works looking north.  The station footbridge may be seen in the background.

 

2048100889_18040717IpswichblockadesmallP.jpg.a412fe1197e599f517141ca2639ac611.jpg

 

This is the tunnel mouth with the track removed awaiting excavation to a lower level.

 

238145990_14040717IpswichblockadesmallP.jpg.f5457ea1568ef0ac0bf9424c231ab906.jpg

 

An Anglia-liveried Class 86 can go no further.

 

573954975_12040717IpswichsmallP.jpg.a5a598ca6f006b9a4206b91433166820.jpg

 

During the works platform 4 was used to stable various units.  This is a couple of 153s and a 170/2 in the platform.

 

1203028977_11040717Ely4781890006smallP.jpg.055d81598b409f0dad5c130ab72b4556.jpg 

 

A very limited direct train service was provided between Norwich and Liverpool Street via Cambridge.  This is Class 47, 47818 piloting Class 90 90006 at Ely.  Note that Chris Green's red lamp posts are still extant, albeit somewhat faded!

 

All the above photographs were taken on 17th July 2004

 

Chris Turnbull 

Edited by Chris Turnbull
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Two years prior to the last batch of photographs, over the weekend of 27th and 28th July 2002, Freightliner locomotive No. 90042 ran six trial trips with a full rake of Anglia Railways Mk 2f stock between Norwich and Stowmarket.  The trials were deemed very satisfactory: there were some minor hiccups with the TDM (time division multiplex), but excellent acceleration and braking.  The train was driven by an Anglia driver with a Freightliner driver from Crewe in attendance.  All the following photographs were taken on 27th July 2002.

 

689189038_21020727Haughley90042smallP.jpg.d90e3870af25f00ae57b2e672b90c2f8.jpg

 

This is 90042 at the rear of the train at Haughley headed towards Stowmarket on the first trial trip of the day.

 

71295654_22020727Haughley90042smallP.jpg.940c08fb29b89cdfc5bfd93039f5edf7.jpg

 

And here she is, again at Haughley, on the return leg of the first trip. 

 

826884767_19020727Haughley86221smallP.jpg.cc40f586d4f918d31a7d8938d940f80b.jpg

 

Meanwhile service trains continued as normal.  This is 86221 on an Up express at Haughley.  The line to Bury St Edmunds can be diverging to the left.

 

141418071_17020727Haughley153335smallP.jpg.b8dca7632ec268df677c51f48380548f.jpg

 

This is 153335 about to take the Bury line on a more mundane Ipswich to Cambridge service.

 

888675124_18020727Haughley170204smallP.jpg.2e15ff61cd8ac49e2876451ac591ba9d.jpg

 

A brace of 170/2s forming one of the innovative but short-lived Norwich to Basingstoke services heads towards Norwich with 170204 leading.

 

2069339253_20020727HaughleyDVT99702smallP.jpg.6b7dc9fdcbad4ddc5196c00bd8e16ac2.jpg

 

This is a Down passenger with Driving Open Brake Standard coach 9702 leading: the train locomotive, a Class 86, is at the rear.

 

1119976311_25020727Stowmarket86227GoldenJubileesmallP.jpg.8b3b68c9007102c6d457ea92544e90b4.jpg

 

Here is recently named 86227 "Golden Jubilee" at the rear of a Down express at Stowmarket.

 

1991220223_24020727Stowmarket153335smallP.jpg.0505795fbdacce1836c19b5dac5f402f.jpg

 

This is 153335 at Stowmarket headed towards Ipswich with the return working of the Cambridge train seen earlier at Haughley.  90042 and her train were stabled in the Down Goods Loop that can be seen to the right at the end of the Down platform.  

 

789019514_23020727StowmarketsmallP.jpg.d71733b3563cb14f5378b558888f6486.jpg

 

A visit to Stowmarket would not be complete without a shot of the ornate Ipswich and Bury Railway architecture of the station.  For more details see:

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stowmarket_railway_station

 

Chris Turnbull

Edited by Chris Turnbull
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On 5th November 2004 the Railway Study Association organised a trip to the Bicester Military Railway.  Photographs were permitted provided we avoided photographing certain buildings; fortunately that didn't include the railway.

 

247976030_8041105BicesterMilitaryRailwayloadingwagonsP.jpg.5a7601cfa4b73b50aee51b3b60ff98c2.jpg

 

The day started with a demonstration of loading containers onto wagons.

 

1900301877_16041105BicesterMilitaryRailwaysmallP.jpg.49b23dbed4ff09e67c60c902e9ac348a.jpg

 

We were then taken the see the railway itself starting with the loco shed...

 

501458182_17041105BicesterMilitaryRailwaysmallP.jpg.0cfcc24de7fd5fe8243ccb9db2880a29.jpg

 

...followed by a trip around the railway in this coach.

 

2106585853_19041105BicesterMilitaryRailwaysmallP.jpg.bb691f8a54a09d81563f15cbeeddcabf.jpg

 

Here's the complete train awaiting departure.

 

660655757_13041105BicesterMilitaryRailwaysmallP.jpg.9c00eabcae8debf81b47085688d60e9f.jpg

 

This is Graven Hill Signal Box.  I wonder if LNERGE has a signalling diagram of this one?

 

560847138_21041105BicesterMilitaryRailwaysmallP.jpg.bb299804206338b43aea8980d7f4f9b5.jpg

 

Bicester also acted as a storage depot for Virgin HSTs, free from the attentions of graffiti artists

 

524744872_22041105BicesterMilitaryRailwayRerailingdemonstrationsmallP.jpg.02bd80c5426fe17ec579ee94b8a2d9d1.jpg

 

Finally we were treated to a display of how to rerail a wagon (and derail it again).  The soldiers giving this display had just returned from Basra where they had worked on the Iraqi railway.  Their one regret was that they hadn't managed to get to Baghdad by train!

 

Chris Turnbull 

 

 

Edited by Chris Turnbull
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Two years prior to the last batch of photographs, over the weekend of 27th and 28th July 2002, Freightliner locomotive No. 90042 ran six trial trips with a full rake of Anglia Railways Mk 2f stock between Norwich and Stowmarket.  The trials were deemed very satisfactory: there were some minor hiccups with the TDM (time division multiplex), but excellent acceleration and braking.  The train was driven by an Anglia driver with a Freightliner driver from Crewe in attendance.  All the following photographs were taken on 27th July 2002.

 

attachicon.gif020727 Haughley 90042 21.jpg

 

This is 90042 at the rear of the train at Haughley headed towards Stowmarket on the first trial trip of the day.

 

attachicon.gif020727 Haughley 90042 22.jpg

 

And here she is, again at Haughley, on the return leg of the first trip. 

 

attachicon.gif020727 Haughley 86221 19.jpg

 

Meanwhile service trains continued as normal.  This is 86221 on an Up express at Haughley.  The line to Bury St Edmunds can be diverging to the left.

 

attachicon.gif020727 Haughley 153335 17.jpg

 

This is 153335 about to take the Bury line on a more mundane Ipswich to Cambridge service.

 

attachicon.gif020727 Haughley 170204 18.jpg

 

A brace of 170/2s forming one of the innovative but short-lived Norwich to Basingstoke services heads towards Norwich with 170204 leading.

 

attachicon.gif020727 Haughley DVT 9702 20.jpg

 

This is a Down passenger with Driving Open Brake Standard coach 9702 leading: the train locomotive, a Class 86, is at the rear.

 

attachicon.gif020727 Stowmarket 86227 Golden Jubilee.jpg

 

Here is recently named 86227 "Golden Jubilee" at the rear of a Down express at Stowmarket.

 

attachicon.gif020727 Stowmarket 153335 24.jpg

 

This is 153335 at Stowmarket headed towards Ipswich with the return working of the Cambridge train seen earlier at Haughley.  90042 and her train were stabled in the Down Goods Loop that can be seen to the right at the end of the Down platform.  

 

attachicon.gif020727 Stowmarket 23.jpg

 

A visit to Stowmarket would not be complete without a shot of the ornate Ipswich and Bury Railway architecture of the station.  For more details see:

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stowmarket_railway_station

 

Chris Turnbull

Stowmarket station? Now theres a memory jerker! Anyone else on here on the ill fated East Anglian Railtour in the 70s? The local Stowmarket chippie didn't know what hit them when the train was terminated there rather than running on to Lowestoft.

 

Phil

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Thanks for these, Chris!  I particularly like the 1968 shot - the station was so intact at the time that it looks as though the train is making a stop there (but isn't it an up train?)!

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Thanks for these, Chris!  I particularly like the 1968 shot - the station was so intact at the time that it looks as though the train is making a stop there (but isn't it an up train?)!

 

Of course it is.  Silly me!  That just goes to show you should never read over your own work.  Many thanks, caption changed.

 

Chris Turnbull

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It has occurred to me that I have been most remiss; I have only posted one photograph of Ely.  This is when I now make amends.

 

 

This is a view looking northwards with a couple of Class 66s headed in that direction.  They are passing over the second most bashed road underbridge in the country, being beaten to the top spot by a low bridge in Swindon.

 

 

More intreresting photos Chris, many thanks

 

The bridge at Swindon winning first prize must be the White House Road bridge, there is/was a pub with a sign featuring the White House,

 

cheers

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Removal of the canopies and alterations to the site may have taken place between 1968 and 1970, but the station buildings at Haughley survived for a number of years afterwards.  Contemporary photos show only a remnant of the single storey section nearest the level crossing - but I haven't visited the site recently.  My only view of the station buildings was taken from a passing train in August 1975.

 

post-10122-0-36886900-1418508583_thumb.jpg

 

I'm intrigued by the lean-to with the legend "Haughley Junction" which appears to have been added after ChrisT's 1970 shots.

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I spent many an interesting evening sat on the old Ely station, in the days the European used to run. Watching trains their was always interesting, watching the semaphores coming off, or just sitting there watching their lamps sat at red. Sadly Ely today has lost some of this magic....

 

The lads I work with rate the Ely boxes as the best boxes they worked.....

 

Andy G

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For today's offering I thought we might venture to the northeast, Newcastle and Gateshead to be precise.

 

attachicon.gif701106 Newcastle Class 17 Clayton K11.17.jpg

 

Chris Turnbull

Super classic view from the Castle but there's something in there i've not noticed before.. The wide to gauge trap has two point machines.

 

This layout also had several point machines in the four foot. In these shots only one is visible.

Edited by LNERGE
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I recollect that, as you looked from the High-Level Bridge towards the station, there was an electrical suppliers called 'Turnbulls'- they weren't family, were they, Chris?

In that second shot of a Clayton (probably hauling scrap from Shepherds of Byker), you can see the footings being laid for Swan House, which dominated the approach from Tyne Bridge towards the city; one job I had when working for Manpower was a glorified caretaker for Storey Sons and Parker, who managed the building. This meant I had access to the roof, which was a great place to watch the passing trains from..

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I recollect that, as you looked from the High-Level Bridge towards the station, there was an electrical suppliers called 'Turnbulls'- they weren't family, were they, Chris?

 

Turnbull is a very common name in Newcastle actually deriving from southern Scotland.  (Allegedly a strong man who saved the life of Robert the Bruce by turning the horns of a charging wild bull into the ground; Robert the Bruce called him "Turn-e-bull".  The genes have been somewhat diluted since then).  There were more Turnbulls than Smiths in the Newcastle telephone directory at one time but very few "down south".  When we first had a telephone in 1967 my father was thrilled that he was the only Turnbull in the Bury St Edmunds directory.

 

Chris Turn-e-bull

Edited by Chris Turnbull
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Turnbull is a very common name in Newcastle actually deriving from southern Scotland.  (Allegedly a strong man who saved the life of Robert the Bruce by turning the horns of a charging wild bull into the ground; Robert the Bruce called him "Turn-e-bull".  The genes have been somewhat diluted since then).  There were more Turnbulls than Smiths in the Newcastle telephone directory at one time but very few "down south".  When we first had a telephone in 1967 my father was thrilled that he was the only Turnbull in the Bury St Edmunds directory.

 

Chris Turn-e-bull

 

What a load of bullocks :jester:

 

Mike.

 

(Sorry Phil)

 

Edited to add apology!

Edited by Enterprisingwestern
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